Jimmy's farewell tour: Thousands turn out for Savile funeral as golden coffin is taken around town

In the homily it was said Sir Jimmy can face eternal life with confidence

Thousands of mourners line the streets as 700 people pack the cathedral

Broadcasting icon will be buried in the North Yorkshire
seaside resort of Scarborough today

Porters at Leeds Royal Infirmary where Sir Jimmy worked as a volunteer show their respects on funeral procession

He had planned every detail of his funeral, made sure family and friends were all there and left precise instructions for his extraordinary send-off.

So there was only one question that needed to be asked yesterday when they said farewell to Sir Jimmy Savile: ‘How’s about that then?’

It didn’t really need a response.

So many people turned out to line the streets and celebrate his life, it quickly became obvious what the answer was.

Leeds General Infirmary employees show their respect as the hearse makes its way to the cathedral. Sir Jimmy was a volunteer porter there

With cheers and applause, the veteran DJ and ceaseless charity fundraiser was seen off the premises, as he once phrased it, with a remarkable show of affection.

Part of the city centre in his beloved Leeds was brought to a standstill as he did a final lap of his past – the modest house where he grew up, his mother’s home, and hospitals where countless ordinary folk benefited from his various good deeds.

Then the hearse that took him on the extended farewell tour brought him under police escort to St Anne’s cathedral for solemn prayers, fond memories and laughter.

Thousands pay their respects as the funeral cortege of Sir Jimmy Savile arrives at St Anne's Cathedral in Leeds

Final respects: Sir Jimmy's coffin is carried into St Anne's

The coffin is carried out of the cathedral after the service to commemorate the entertainer's life ends

The hearse stopped outside Leeds General Infirmary where Sir Jimmy worked as a volunteer before making its way on to the church

Inside the cathedral, a rare reunion of DJ friends joined the congregation to remember Sir Jimmy, who died two days before his 85th birthday last month.

‘We finally found out Jim’s big secret,’ said ex-Radio Luxembourg companion Tony Prince. ‘He was nearly 85. It’s the first time any of us ever knew his real age.’

The Order of Service for Sir Jimmy's funeral which was held at the Roman Catholic St Anne's Cathedral

Former Radio 1 colleague Andy Peebles said: ‘He might have annihilated the English language and spent a lifetime making strange animal noises, but he was a master of his craft.’

Hospitals, emergency services, the Lord Mayor of Leeds and too many organisations to count sent flowers – a small indication of the huge number of people Savile helped, supported or bullied into action for the past half century or so.

Friend and DJ Dave Eager, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, sported a prized ‘Jim Fixed It For Me’ medallion on a red ribbon around his neck. What did Sir Jimmy fix, he was asked? ‘My life,’ he replied. ‘Everyone who knew Jimmy knows it was a life-changing experience.’

Frank Bruno said Jimmy Savile was 'one in a million'. The entertainer died two days short of his 85th birthday last month.

Speaking
after the funeral, Mr Bruno said: 'He was a very special man. If he was
here he would be taking over,saying: "Now then. Now then."

Sir Jimmy was knighted for his services to charity. He worked 'tirelessly' to raise funds for various causes

Porters at Leeds General Infirmary bow their heads as the funeral cortege makes its way past. Sir Jimmy volunteered as a porter at the hospital

Jim Fixed It For Me: A badge is held up before the Requiem Mass

Before the service his gold casket was driven past his old home on Consort Terrace - now in the centre
of Leeds' student population - while students leaning out of a window
held up a homemade 'RIP Jim' sign.

Just a few hundred yards before the
cortege arrived at the cathedral, it stopped outside Leeds General
Infirmary before heading on to St Anne's.

Sir Jimmy raised large amounts of cash for the hospital and spent hours volunteering there as a porter.

One wreath spelt out the numbers 208
in yellow and white flowers - the frequency for Radio Luxembourg, where
Sir Jimmy once worked.

Other bouquets had been sent from
cruise company Cunard, with which the DJ had links, the BBC, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, and members of the official fan club.

Funeral director Robert Morphet, of
Joseph A Hey & Son Ltd, said he had never been asked to organise a
three-day funeral and staff had been working 12 to 14-hour days to
accommodate the broadcaster's wishes.

Inside the church, a blown-up picture of
the entertainer, in black and white apart from rose-tinted trademark
glasses, adorned the space to the left of the altar as well as on the
order of service.

Sir Jimmy's coffin is removed from the hearse ready to be carried into the cathedral in Leeds

Final respects: Sir James Wilson Vincent Savile OBE KCSG

The bustle in the grand building, the
large lighting rigs and strategically placed video cameras indicated it was no ordinary funeral.

Reverend Arthur Roche sprinkled the coffin with holy water before it was carried to the front.

As he addressed the congregation, he said: 'Today Jimmy lies at the
front of this cathedral where in former years he had remained discreetly
hidden at the back in order not to disturb people's prayers or distract
their attention from what was taking place at the altar.

'This afternoon, he occupies the first place always in our thoughts, affections and prayers.'

In the homily, Monsignor Kieran Heskin said: 'Sir Jimmy Savile can face eternal life with confidence.

'His life story was an epic of giving - giving of time, giving of talent, giving of treasure.'

He added he hoped God would 'fix it that Jimmy would be given the ultimate reward - a place in heaven'.

The congregation sang the hymn Jerusalem as his coffin was led out of the church.

Sir Jimmy will be buried in Scarborough today at a 45 degree angle to the sea, as he requested.

He will be buried with a Royal
Marines medal and green beret and a Help for Heroes wristband and will be wearing his own clothes.

On Tuesday his family arranged it so
Sir Jimmy Savile could stage one last, eccentric performance before he
bowed out with a final 'owzabout that'.

He
was dressed in a tracksuit, lying on a sprung mattress inside a
gold-lacquered metal coffin, raised on a platform in the bar of his
favourite hotel.

Bee Gees card: DJ Mike Read holds a card from the famous band who had more than 40 hits

Final send-off: The back cover of the order of service for Jimmy Savile's funeral which takes place today

Fans of Sir Jimmy Savile arrive at Leeds Cathedral for the funeral service today

Jimmy Savile's golden coffin is accompanied by a small shrine with a candle, picture of the legend, and two books from his appearances on the TV show This Is Your Life

Three of his trademark Havana cigars,
among them the last one he smoked, lay in an ashtray beside him.

He wore
his Help For Heroes wristband and clutched rosary beads alongside an
honorary green beret from the Royal Marines.

On a dreary, drizzly day in his
beloved home city of Leeds, relatives, friends and admirers joined
complete strangers to file by and pay their respects.

The last time the nation did this so
publicly it was for the Queen Mother.

'It started off as a straightforward
family funeral,' nephew Roger Foster said.

'The funeral director pointed
out that to me he was an uncle; to everybody else he was a national
treasure.

'We just tried to read his mind and give him what we thought he
would have wanted.'

FROM COAL MINER TO TOP OF THE POPS: THE LIFE OF SIR JIMMY

Sir Jimmy – James Wilson Savile – was born in Leeds on Halloween 1926.

He left school at 14 and when war broke out he enlisted as a coal miner for the war effort.

An underground explosion damaged his spine so badly that he had to give up mining.

Instead he became a local entertainer, organising what he described as Britain’s first disco in 1948.

His work in the dance-halls was eventually spotted and he was asked to move on to radio where he rapidly acquired national fame, first with Radio Luxembourg and then BBC Radio 1.

He later competed as a semi-professional sportsman, taking part in the 1951 Tour of Britain cycle race and a professional wrestler.

He fought 107 bouts but won just seven, insisting it was never fixed.

In 1964, Sir Jimmy presented the very first edition of Top Of The Pops.

In the 70s, he started a 20-year run as host of Jim'll Fix It, working miracles for more than 1,500 children.

He raised staggering amounts for charity - his accountant lost track after £40million.

SAVILLE CASH TO FUND NEW HEART INSTITUTE AT HOSPITAL HE SUPPORTED

A new hospital institute devoted to helping heart patients will be created using a bequest from Sir Jimmy Savile's will, it was announced today.

Giving a eulogy at the veteran DJ's funeral, Professor Alistair Hall, a cardiologist, revealed the Savile Institute will be set up in Leeds.

The unit will help people with cardiovascular disease and pioneer research into heart disease.Speaking at St Anne's Cathedral, in Leeds, Prof Hall said: 'Today I'm proud to announce that the legacy will continue at the Leeds General Infirmary, which has decided to establish the Savile Institute.'

A spokesman for Leeds Teaching Hospitals said Sir Jimmy had a particular interest in heart surgery after his own treatment at the former Killingbeck Hospital in Leeds in 1997.

He was a hugely generous supporter and benefactor of charities at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals since the 1960s.

The spokesman said the Savile Institute intended to lead the way in helping to eliminate cardiovascular disease and stroke.

It will pioneer research into the causes of heart disease and improved methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The institute will help people with, and at risk of, cardiovascular disease by providing comprehensive information and guidance on how to minimise their risk.

Professor Mohan Sivananthan, Leeds Teaching Hospitals consultant cardiologist who will lead the work to set up the new institute and was a friend of Sir Jimmy's, said: 'I feel very privileged to have got to know Sir Jimmy over the years and valued his friendship and support extremely highly.

'I was absolutely delighted to hear that Sir Jimmy decided to remember us in his will - it is the sort of generous gesture which was typical of him and his commitment to helping other people.

'It's still very early days in terms of what the institute will look like and how it will develop, but we are determined to work closely with the existing heart charities in Yorkshire and nationally to create a resource which can truly benefit patients and make a difference in fulfilment of his wishes.'